


those magic changes

by prncesselene



Series: the life and times of the bridgerton viscountcy [1]
Category: Bridgerton (TV), Bridgerton Series - Julia Quinn
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Post-Canon, Pregnancy, and i love that for them, they're so in love it's ridiculous and gross, this does not follow the canon timeline for baby #1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-16 13:07:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28582476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prncesselene/pseuds/prncesselene
Summary: As the months passed, however, she began to forget about the pressures of copulation, instead focusing on the domestic bliss of a happy marriage.Bringing Anthony a cup of tea and sitting with him whenever he took it upon himself to work late into the night, for example. He did that quite a bit.If it often led to him throwing her over his desk and sticking his head underneath her skirts, well, no one could blame Kate for her magnanimity — or her ability to think ahead.-Or: Kate realizes she's pregnant. Just... not quite in the way you'd think.
Relationships: Anthony Bridgerton/Kate Sharma, Anthony Bridgerton/Kate Sheffield
Series: the life and times of the bridgerton viscountcy [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2124486
Comments: 46
Kudos: 459





	those magic changes

Like most momentous, life-changing occasions in Kate Bridgerton's life, she’d become pregnant with her first child before she was quite aware anything of note had even happened at all.

Indeed, falling in love with her husband had set the precedent for that. Even now, nearly a year into their marriage, Kate had a bit of trouble wrapping her head around it all. To think that at one point, she’d once been well prepared for life as an aging spinster, firmly on the shelf in the country. Now, not only was she married — to a Viscount _,_ no less! — but she was a happy and willing participant, too.

That _,_ in particular, was perhaps more than she could have ever asked for.

Unlike her whirlwind romance, though — if one could call bickering with someone until your throat hurts, stepping on their shoes after a single argument, cheating at a game of Pall Mall and accidentally entrapping them into marriage via bee sting as _romance_ — domestic married life was relatively uneventful. Blissful, even.

Waking up in Anthony’s arms day after day was nothing short of heaven. By now, her lady’s maids and the rest of their staff knew not to bother them until they went down for breakfast all on their own. More often than not, what would begin as lazy kisses and sweet, innocent murmurs whilst half asleep ended up devolving into something far more depraved.

The afternoons of a viscountess were not particularly taxing ones, but Kate made herself as useful as she could, attending to the affairs of the house and focusing on her hobbies. She was actually showing wonderful progress on the flute — at least, Anthony seemed to think so.

And yet, with so relatively little to fill the time, it was truly a wonder Kate had not picked up on the changes in her body until she did. In the first few months after marriage, she’d watched closely for her courses, equal parts relieved and disappointed each time they arrived. She was well aware of the _practical_ reasons that required them to add at least one member to the family, but it was more than that. She craved her own family, and she wanted it with him.

As the months passed, however, she began to forget about the pressures of copulation, instead focusing on the domestic bliss of a happy marriage.

Bringing Anthony a cup of tea and sitting with him whenever he took it upon himself to work late into the night, for example. He did that quite a bit.

If it often led to him throwing her over his desk and sticking his head underneath her skirts, well, no one could blame Kate for her magnanimity — _or_ her ability to think ahead.

“Can’t get any work done when you’re around,” Anthony growled, his voice slightly muffled by his proximity to her skin. His knuckles were white where they bunched her nightgown against her thighs. He pressed a few messy kisses to her inner thigh, working his way upwards as Kate slowly felt herself burning from within.

“Is _that_ why you hide away here late at night? Trying to avoid me?” She said in as teasing a tone as she could muster, her voice becoming more and more desperate as his tongue grazed her core gently.

It seemed every giggle, sigh, and whimper Anthony elicited from her only served to motivate him further. He knew her body in a way no one else did, or ever would — and this expert knowledge meant it did not take long for her to become a writhing mess above him, her heart a live, fluttery monster sitting atop her ribcage.

She felt his smile against her, the stretch of his muscles accomplishing little else other than spurring her forward, her hands gripping tightly around his hair. To her horror, he separated himself to look up at her. “Whenever I’m around you, I seem incapable of focusing on anything else. _Dreadful_ for my productivity.”

“Perhaps attending to your wife is equally as important as matters of the estate, hm?”

His smirk would have made anyone weak in the knees; it certainly worked its magic on Kate, regardless of how often he brandished it around her. “You make a brilliant case, my love.”

“I often do,” Kate said, smiling indulgently. “Now, what exactly were you doing just moments ago?”

Anthony laughed and pulled himself up, wrapping an arm around her waist and letting his fingers accomplish what he’d started while he kissed her senseless, the heat that had begun to grow in her spine now coiling tightly.

The world closed in on itself, as it often did when it came to Anthony, and soon he was all that she could feel, or hear, or see. She felt him pressed against her, the warmth and friction of his body enough to send her over the edge as his fingers worked at a pace he knew she enjoyed, focusing with rapt attention on that _particular_ spot between her legs that made her see stars.

She came apart while his lips were on her collarbone, her cries muffled into the fabric of his shirt.

The man was still completely dressed. Barely had a lick of sweat on him. And he’d made her unravel like _that._

She was a lucky woman, indeed.

As soon as she managed to catch her breath, she was on him again, her hands grabbing at the edges of his shirt and draping it over his head. Her seat on his desk was to her advantage, as they were almost at eye level with each other, and it gave her the chance to start to unbuckle his pants as well.

Before she could properly finish, he’d chuckled and lifted her up, her legs coming around his waist. “You know, I think I’m done with work for the night. Wouldn’t you agree?”

She quirked an eyebrow, a sardonic smile gracing her full lips. “ _Now_ is when you’ve come to realize this?”

Kate tightened her grip around his shoulders as he led them over to their bedroom — the chambers that were supposed to belong to her were collecting dust — and practically threw her on the bed, her long dark hair fanning out around her. She took her own nightgown off as soon as possible, all too aware of where things were heading. She’d have no need for it in a few moments.

After preening under Anthony’s hungry gaze, Kate quickly sat up on her knees, all too eager to make him feel the way he so often made _her_ feel. His shirt was off in an instant, the warmth of his skin a welcome change. Kate ran her hands over it, pressing soft kisses against his chest, his stomach, the tuft of hair that led to other, more _exciting_ places.

“I don’t know why you’re so good to me,” he said, a hand coming up to cradle her cheek. She looked up at him, unable to hide the smile that formed.

“It might have to do with loving you so much,” she whispered, pressing a final kiss to his stomach before sitting up again. “Quite the malady. I hear it’s incurable.”

“Then I suppose we’re both doomed,” he murmured, playing with the lace of her nightgown.

Kate only smiled, biting her lip as she tugged his pants down, making her intentions as clear as possible. He helped her along, leaning over her on the bed as soon as he was completely bare to her, the sight of him — _all_ of him — making her mouth water.

She indulged in his kiss for a few, sweet moments, his tongue parting her lips and reigniting a hunger in her once more. After she was sure he’d become content with their new pace, she smiled into the kiss, gently pulling his arms away from her so that she could flip them both over, valiantly straddling him.

Confusion and shock quickly gave way to a new brand of endeared excitement as he stared up at her. “Oh? What’s this?”

“I’ve decided to switch things up for the moment. Is that a problem?”

“Absolutely not,” he murmured, seemingly very comfortable indeed with the situation at hand. “Do your worst, I suppose.”

Kate all but giggled, taking his arms and pinning them up over his head. She ducked her head down, intent on pressing those agonizingly slow kisses on his neck that he loved to leave on her. The kind that forced her to apply powder on parts of her skin that she’d never had to apply powder to before — she’d blushed like mad when her lady’s maid had been forced to explain _that_ trick to her.

She took her time with each kiss, relishing in the taste of his skin. He groaned under her, and it was almost… _intoxicating_ , the effect she realized she had on him. It made her feel powerful, and strong, and beautiful _,_ and—

“Are your breasts alright?”

Kate froze, shifting her gaze up at Anthony from where she’d been focusing on his collarbone. “My… breasts?”

“They— well, to be frank, they look a bit swollen.” His eyes turned inquisitive where her breasts were pressed against his chest, a much more scientific outcome than she’d been hoping for.

Kate sat up, letting go of his hands and staring down at her chest. Her breasts were of a fairly good size, or so she thought, but she couldn’t quite account for any growth in that area since she’d been a younger maiden. “And you’re attentive to every small change?’

He smiled boyishly, staring pointedly at them. His hands came up to rest on her waist, rubbing aimlessly at the soft skin on her hips. “I do consider myself an expert on the subject, yes.”

It was futile to try and hide the blush that rose on Kate’s cheeks, the sudden attention on her breasts making her slightly uncomfortable. “Does that mean you study them each night, then?”

“Every day, too,” he nodded, his hands inching up awards towards the aforementioned body part. “You _really_ haven’t noticed me staring at them whenever you’re petting Newton or working on your embroidery?”

“I can’t say that I have,” she narrowed her eyes in mock disapproval, pouting as she stared down at them again. “Do you think something is _really_ wrong? The only reason I can think of for breasts swelling at random is...”

Kate paused, her eyes widening as she made a few quick calculations. Her heart began to beat wildly as her mind connected the fragments of information that, once pieced together, made _everything_ all too clear.

Anthony watched her with amusement. “Is…?”

“Do you really not know?” Kate asked, emotion beginning to clog her throat as her hands took hold of his. She didn’t like to think _too_ much about his rakish past, lest she work herself up into a fit of jealousy over a time when she did not know him, but he _did_ have a particular sort of experience.

“I don’t think I do. Are you planning on telling me? Should I be _worried_? _”_ His tone began to border on panicked, his mind no doubt running through each and every worst possible scenario. A fear of death _had_ been the basis of their entire marriage after all.

“ _No,_ no… ” Kate shook her head and smiled as new tears threatened to choke her. “Anthony, my breasts are swollen.”

“Yes, I think we’ve covered that. I can very well _see_ them, my dear.”

“And, now that I think about it, I _have_ been feeling fatigued lately. Remember how I took a nap after lunch last week?”

“Does napping stimulate breast growth?”

Kate chuckled, shaking her head and sniffling. Had Violet really never taught her sons about this sort of thing? “I also can’t remember the last time I had my monthly courses...”

It took a moment, then, for the realization to dawn on his face.

At first his eyebrows scrunched up with the effort of thinking, his head rotating slightly to the left, and then his eyes widened, zeroing in on her stomach, which— well, now that Kate looked at it closely, _did_ appear to have grown a bit. She was under the impression she’d just indulged in too many biscuits at tea lately.

“Do you mean you’re…?”

Kate bit her lip, one of the hands already holding Anthony’s drifting towards her stomach. “I’m fairly sure this means I’m pregnant, yes.”

She’d barely managed to speak the word before Anthony sat up with a start, knocking her over and immediately apologizing profusely.

Kate, meanwhile, couldn’t quite stop _laughing,_ even as she cried. Leave it to her husband to knock over his pregnant wife with brute force mere seconds after finding out such pertinent information. She was lucky they’d moved to the bed and weren’t still gallivanting in his study.

“I’m so sorry, my love,” he whispered as he kissed the crook of her neck, her cheeks, her lips, her ears, his hands running up and down her body. “I— I just can’t _believe_ … I—”

Kate stopped him, cradling his cheeks and pulling him upwards so that he might kiss her _properly_. His giddinness was incredibly endearing but highly ineffective. She sighed into the kiss, intoxicated on an entirely new feeling, which started at the tips of her toes and spread out until she couldn’t think of anything else. She was so _happy._

“We’re going to have a baby, _my lord,"_ She waggled her eyebrows. "Isn’t that something? Now you can finally get rid of me, send me off to the country like you were planning.”

“Not a chance,” he practically growled, a devilish smile playing at his lips. “You’re staying right here with me.”

“I suppose if I absolutely _must_ ,” she laughed and rolled her eyes playfully, watching her stomach. His gaze followed, his hands settling over the tiny bump.

They were quiet for a few special moments as they watched the rise and fall of her stomach with every breath she took, until Kate sighed, entirely content. “A _baby_. I can hardly believe it. We’re going to be a family.”

Anthony grunted. “Did I misunderstand our vows? I assumed we already were.”

She shoved at his shoulder, only to tuck herself more closely into it. “You know what I mean, dear. A _proper_ one.”

The implication of that statement hung in the air between them — Kate loved Edwina and Mary dearly, but she’d grown up without much in the way of a traditional family, and this new opportunity to have something special, like what _he_ had, was at once exhilarating and overwhelming.

Anthony’s arms became tighter around her as he pressed a chaste kiss at her forehead. “You’re right. Our child will be very lucky.”

Kate couldn’t help but snort, ladylikeness be damned. “They’ll be the heir to the Bridgerton name. _Of course_ they’ll be lucky.”

“Beyond that, though,” he said. “We’re going to love them unconditionally, won’t we? They’ll have aunts and uncles to spare, and the way Daphne is going about things, more cousins than they can count. That’s a lot more important than a name or title.”

It was hard not to beam when he said that. She knew his family was extremely important to him. Indeed, Kate herself had witnessed the magic of a large, loving family even before she’d married into the Bridgerton group, and now that she’d married into it she had zero grounds for complaint. Their child _would_ be lucky, because they would grow up so incredibly loved.

And then there was _Anthony_.

Oh, Kate could hardly believe that it was _him_ with whom she’d been destined to share her life on most days, and that was when his role was merely just as her husband. On top of that, he was a caring — if not a smidge _too_ overprotective — brother, a doting son, and she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt he would make a brilliant father one day.

One day very, very soon.

Before she knew it, Kate was crying again, tears staining her cheeks. Anthony held her as his own eyes grew misty with emotion, the warmth and love in them reflecting her own.

“I’m very excited,” Kate said, sniffling as she wiped her cheeks clean. “Everything is going to change from now on.”

“For the better, I’d say,” Anthony agreed. “So long as he inherits your stunning wit. And _my_ fantastic skills in Pall Mall.”

“Or _mine_ ,” Kate huffed. “And that’s quite a bold assumption. What if it’s a girl?”

“Then let us hope she’s only _half_ as argumentative as you. And hopefully with better table manners.”

Kate pinched his earlobe. “And none of your stubbornness or vanity, God willing.”

Anthony barked out a laugh, his thumb running absently across Kate’s cheek. “Well, as long as he’s as funny as you, and as charming as me, I do think he’ll be alright.”

“Or _she!_ ”

“Or she,” he nodded, nudging his nose against hers. “Although… if it _is_ a boy… well, I was wondering…”

“Hm?”

“What do you think about naming him Edmund? After my father.”

Kate closed her eyes to try and avoid the tears that she was sure would come. She’d never even _known_ the late Viscount, at least not personally — but she knew of him through Anthony, and she knew best of all how much he had meant to her husband.

“I _think…_ ” she finally said, gently lifting herself upwards and pressing a kiss to Anthony’s lips. “That I would like that. Very much so.”

Anthony smiled. “Have I ever told you that I’m desperately in love with you?”

Kate had a feeling her husband would keep her blushing well into old age; his words always seemed to leave her feeling weak and airy. Still, she played the haughty wife.

“You certainly have, but do feel free to keep saying it. I never quite tire of hearing it.”

“Very well, then. I promise to never stop. Every day, I shall make it my mission to remind you.”

“Every day? Well, only if you can find ways to make it sound unique and interesting. I worry I should grow bored of hearing it every day, and then how would I believe you?”

“I promise to remind you in _unique_ and _interesting_ ways, every single day, of how much I love you. Does that sound better?”

Kate laughed, nodding and settling into her pillow, bringing him closer to her. She was very quickly growing tired. “Then I shall promise to do the same. We have a very _unique_ and _interesting_ life ahead of us, don’t you think?”

He nodded, kissing her forehead once more. “I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather do it with.”

Anthony’s arms were so warm around her, her heart so _full_ , that Kate had never felt more safe and protected and content then when she’d replied with the words, “Me either.”

**Author's Note:**

> fair warning i am like 96% a reylo account, but if you'd like to be buds and cry about kate, anthony, and any bridgerton news that comes our way, particularly regarding kate and anthony *crosses fingers* i'm on twitter @hidingsolo!


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